Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for use with children who are poor eaters, and more particularly to a child feeder apparatus for use in encouraging such poor eaters to eat more readily.
Many children of all ages, especially toddlers, have the reputation of being poor eaters at feeding time. Consequently, those children continue to frustrate parents and caregivers alike, with no apparent solution in sight. Accordingly, a successful approach to convince a child who is a poor eater to eat is desirable. The preceding notion is reinforced by evidence that suggests a link between a parent""s or caregiver""s success in encouraging a young child to eat and what new foods that child will subsequently try in the future.
Over time, parents and caregivers have tried many methods and techniques in efforts to encourage children who are poor eaters to eat. Unfortunately, most methods have had limited success at best. For example, one past method consisted of a parent or caregiver first demonstrating the eating process to a child who is a poor eater. To demonstrate the process, the parent or caregiver would attempt to xe2x80x9cfeedxe2x80x9d imaginary food to a make-believe imaginary creature, such as a stuffed animal.
Parents and caregivers have also attempted more realistic, but also less sanitary, feeding approaches. For example, parents and caregivers have tried to illustrate the feeding process to poor eaters by first feeding themselves the child""s food with the intent of demonstrating to the child that the food is appetizing and that the child should also eat it. However, because the parent or caregiver is forced to first eat a portion of the child""s food from the child""s feeding utensil, the technique is unsanitary.
Two previously known embodiments have sought to provide parents and caregivers a simpler way of feeding a poor child eater. For example, although limited in scope, U.S. Pat. No. 2,453,922, to Manaster (the xe2x80x9c""922 Patentxe2x80x9d) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,455,266 to Nudelman (the xe2x80x9c""266 Patentxe2x80x9d) illustrate potentially effective apparatuses and methods of encouraging children who are poor eaters to eat. Both the ""922 Patent and the ""266 Patent are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
First, as narrowly demonstrated by the ""922 Patent, a vibratory or oscillatory amusement and appetite-stimulating feeding device was sought to help stimulate a child""s interest in eating. Specifically, the feeding device of the ""922 Patent provides a character""s body, which rests, for example, upon a table or flat surface adjacent to a feeding container, such as a bowl or dish. The character""s body may be an animal figure, such as that of a xe2x80x9cbegging dog.xe2x80x9d The animal figure is then positioned so that it overlies the circumferential peripheral edge portion of a bowl.
After positioning the feeding device, a parent or caregiver can insert food into an opening within the feeding device""s body. Upon entry of the food into the opening of the feeding device, the food drops into an internal channel and ultimately back toward the recessed area of the adjacent bowl. Concurrent to the insertion of food within the body, the character""s head reacts in a vibratory or oscillatory manner in an effort to pique a child""s interest in eating the food contained within the bowl.
However, while the feeding device may prove somewhat helpful in aiding parents and caregivers in feeding a poor eater, its usefulness is limited. For example, the feeding device can only be effectively used in combination with a bowl that rests on a substantially level, planar surface. Alternatively, if the feeding device is placed upon an uneven surface adjacent to a bowl, it will not properly hook and engage the bowl""s edge.
If the feeding device is not properly assembled to the bowl, proper alignment of the body""s food channel with the recessed portion of the bowl is prevented. The usefulness of the feeding device of the ""922 Patent is limited in that it can only be effectively used if the apparatus is resting upon a table or other planar, level surface.
The feeding device of the ""922 Patent is also limited in that it is only effective if used when the feeding device and the engaged bowl are stationary. For example, if a parent or caregiver picks up the feeding device and the engaged bowl, the feeding device will loosely, but forcibly, swing from its hooking attachment. In short, the loose and unstable swinging motion is highly likely to cause the feeding device to disengage from the edge of the bowl and fall to the ground.
Additionally, because the feeding device is loosely and unsecurely hooked to the edge of the bowl, a small child""s waving arms or kicking legs may cause problems. For example, the feeding device""s weak engagement with the bowl makes it highly susceptible to being knocked to the floor by a poor eater. Even worse, the engaged bowl may also fall to the floor with the feeding device, thereby spilling the food and creating a mess.
Alternatively, if a parent or caregiver is able to successfully pick up the feeding device and the engaged bowl, a reduction in the efficiency of the apparatus is likely to occur. Specifically, upon lifting the feeding device and the engaged bowl, the body""s lower portion will swing forward, toward the container, while the upper portion will tilt rearward, away from the bowl. The body""s resultant angular hang will also cause its internal channel to pivot from a substantially vertical position to more of a horizontal position. Such a pivot reduces the efficient gravitational downward flow of food deposited within the channel.
Finally, the feeding device of the ""922 Patent is highly limited in scope because it can only be effectively used with a bowl having a circular edge. Further, the body of the feeding device is only adaptable to adjacently abut a bowl that has a hemispherical-shaped exterior. The preceding limitations prevent use of the feeding device with other common, feeding container embodiments having alternate configurations such as square, rectangular, oval, triangular, or other geometric or caricature shaped peripheral edge portions, or body exteriors.
Another previously known feeding device is disclosed by the ""266 Patent. Unlike the feeding device of the ""922 Patent, the feeding device of the ""266 Patent hangs freely from the circular edge of a feeding bowl. The engagement alleviates a user""s concern with whether the surface upon which the feeding bowl rests is level or planar. The hanging feeding device also allows a parent or caregiver to pick up the feeding bowl without worrying about whether it or the hanging feeding device embodiment will forcibly disengage or fall to the floor.
However, other limitations in the operation of the feeding device of the ""266 Patent exist. For example, due to the feeding device""s hanging engagement with the feeding bowl, the feeding device is limited to use with feeding bowls made of a substantial, heavy material. In short, if a lighter weight bowl is used, the hanging embodiment can cause the feeding bowl to tip, thereby spilling the food contained therein.
An additional limitation presented by the feeding device is that it can only be used with feeding bowls that have a circular edge. Specifically, the feeding device has an undercut portion that is of a partial circular nature and can only adapt to hook to a feeding bowl having a circular edge. The feeding device is not adapted for use with, and effective hooking to, a feeding bowl having a straight or non-circular edge. Additionally, the feeding device""s body is configured so that it may only hang alongside, and in abbutance to, a feeding bowl.
The feeding device of the ""266 Patent is also limited in use due to its loose engagement with the edge of a feeding bowl. For example, because the feeding device only hangs from, and is not securely affixed to, the edge of a feeding bowl, a child may easily knock the feeding device to the floor. Consequently, the feeding device itself, the food contained therein, and possibly even the feeding bowl, can fall to the floor, creating a mess.
Thus, while previously known feeding devices have created advances in efforts to encourage children who are poor eaters to eat, they still have not adequately addressed the needs of such a device. The drawbacks of the previously known devices have been known for some time without any marked improvement thereto occurring to date. Consequently, these devices remain limited in that they are only adapted for use with feeding containers having circular edges. In short, the previously known embodiments are clumsy, inefficient, and inadequate for use with feeding container embodiments other than those having circular edges.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention that it provide a child feeder apparatus that may be more successfully used to encourage a child who is a poor eater to eat.
It is another objective of the present invention that it provide a child feeder apparatus having a contiguous rim member which defines a central opening. Moreover, it is an objective of the present invention that it also have a head member extending from the rim member and that is at least partially located in a plane above the central opening defined by the rim member.
It is yet another objective of the present invention that it provide a child feeder apparatus that can be securely attached to the peripheral edge portion of a feeding container.
It is an additional objective of the present invention that the rim member of the child feeder apparatus can be securely attached to the entire peripheral edge portion of a feeding container.
In short, the present invention provides a child feeder apparatus which is adapted to securely attach to any previously known feeding container on the market such as, but not limited to, containers which are sold under the brand names TUPPERWARE(copyright), ZIPLOC(copyright), RUBBERMAID(copyright), GLAD(copyright), and ANCHOR-HOCKING(copyright), as well as similar house brand or generic containers.
The child feeder apparatus of the present invention is also of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which requires little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. In order to enhance the market appeal of the child feeder apparatus, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the child feeder apparatus of the present invention be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
The disadvantages and limitations of the previously known embodiments discussed above are overcome by the present invention. The present invention allows parents and caregivers to more successfully encourage a child who is a poor eater to eat its food. It is contemplated that the apparatus includes a rim member having a contiguous periphery, which defines a central opening. The rim member further has an underside defining a securing portion adapted for securely mating to a peripheral edge portion of a feeding container, which peripheral edge portion defines an opening.
The child feeder apparatus of the present invention further includes a head member, which extends from the rim member and which is at least partially located in a plane above the central opening defined by the rim member. The head member has at least one passageway defined therein, the passageway being adapted to allow access into the central opening defined by the rim member.
Using previously known molding technology, the rim member of the present invention can be formed unitarily, or alternatively created from a set of components. Moreover, the rim member of the child feeder apparatus can further include a holder for the temporary storage of a feeding utensil. Consistent with well-known molding technology, the rim member may also include, upon its upper, visible portion, associated embodiments. For example, it is envisioned that the rim member can have caricature xe2x80x9cappendages,xe2x80x9d which are specific, and which correspond to the head member of the present invention. Thus, as the head member of the present invention varies, so too can the associated rim member xe2x80x9cappendages.xe2x80x9d
The rim member of the present invention can be manufactured from conventional polypropylene-type material that is already known and is commonly used by reusable or disposable containers, which may contain food. Such already known containers include, but are not limited to, containers which are sold under the brand names TUPPERWARE(copyright), ZIPLOC(copyright), RUBBERMAID(copyright), GLAD(copyright), and ANCHOR-HOCKING(copyright), as well as similar house brand or generic containers.
Regardless, it is envisioned that the rim member of the present invention, particularly the underside thereof, will have a channel formed within it. The channel, which acts as a securing portion, is adapted to detachably affix to a container""s peripheral edge portion. For example, it is contemplated that the securing portion of the present invention may be interference fit with the peripheral edge portion of those containers already well known within the marketplace. In place of a channel, it is further contemplated that the rim member of the present invention may alternatively include either an inwardly extending flange or an outwardly extending flange. The flange would be interference fit with the peripheral edge portion of a container.
The rim member of the present invention may embody various shapes. The shapes may include, but are not limited to, those that are circular, non-curvilinear, square, rectangular, oval, triangular, or of another geometric or caricature shape. In short, it is contemplated that the rim member of the present invention is arranged and configured so that it can be securely attached to the containers which are sold under the brand names TUPPERWARE(copyright), ZIPLOC(copyright), RUBBERMAID(copyright), GLAD(copyright), or ANCHOR-HOCKING(copyright), as well as similar house brand or generic containers.
The rim member of the present invention thus presents an embodiment that allows for secure attachment to the entire peripheral edge portion of any of the aforementioned common containers. Accordingly, when securely attached to a container, a parent or caregiver may freely move or pick up the container and attached child feeder apparatus without the worry of whether the child feeder apparatus will become dislodged or fall to the floor.
In addition to the rim member, the present invention also includes an upwardly extending head member. This head member can be formed from the same polypropylene-type composition and molding processes that are used in the formation of the rim member. Alternatively, the head member can be made of a different material. Regardless, the rim member and the head member can be formed either unitarily or as separate, optionally detachable components.
If the rim member and the head member are formed as separate pieces, they can be securably affixed at a connection point, either permanently or in a detachable manner. For example, the attachment mechanism may include the use of a molded extension of either the rim member or head member, which forms a male connecting element. The extending male connecting element can be inserted into a corresponding aperture, which forms a female connecting element. Either connecting element can be on either the head member or the rim member, with the other connecting element being on the other member, with the two connecting elements locking together to thereby form a securable attachment.
Alternatively, the securing relationship may embody a lateral sliding connection of either the rim member or the head member upon a protruding element extending from the other member. More specifically, the protruding element may also include at least one laterally extending flange so that a xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d shape or an upside-down xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shape is formed. Either the rim member or the head member may then laterally slide into place upon the protruding element. Consequently, such an attachment would prevent detachment without lateral movement. It is contemplated that a user can thus interchange alternate head members for use with a particular rim member (or vice versa), thereby affording a parent or caregiver to provide more variety when attempting to encourage a poor child eater to eat.
The preferred embodiment of the head member of the present invention extends outwardly from the rim member. It is envisioned that the head member may consist of, but is not limited to, a caricature, such as a caricature of the head of an animal. It is contemplated that the head member includes at least one passageway, which has at least one corresponding outlet. The passageway and outlet of the head member will overlie at least a portion of the central opening of the rim member.
Alternatively, if not overlying at least a portion of the central opening, the passageway and outlet may have an angular slope or extension, such as a tube or the like, for directing deposited food into the feeding container. Regardless, the passageway descends from a wide, open caricature mouth. The passageway and outlet of the head member are adapted to allow deposited food to freely flow therethrough. A deposit of food within the passageway thus constitutes a xe2x80x9cfeedingxe2x80x9d of the caricature.
Once a food substance is deposited into the head member, it gravitationally falls freely downward. The food falls through the passageway, from the outlet, through the central opening of the rim member, through the open top portion of the feeding container, and into the interior of the feeding container. Thus, without waste and in a time-efficient manner, the present invention allows a parent or caregiver to simulate the feeding of a caricature in an attempt to encourage a poor eater to eat.
The present invention also provides for a method of using the child feeder apparatus. Specifically, the steps include: providing a child feeder apparatus having a contiguous rim periphery portion and an upwardly extending head member; securing the rim member to a peripheral edge portion of a feeding container by an interference fit; and introducing food into the mouth of the head member. The introduced food is gravitationally moved from within the head member through a passageway to the interior of an attached container located below the rim of the child feeder apparatus.
It may therefore be seen that the present invention teaches a child feeder apparatus having a rim member with a contiguous periphery, which defines a central opening, and which may be securely attached to the peripheral edge portion of a container. The present invention also has a head member that extends from the rim member and that is at least partially located in a plane above the central opening defined by the rim member.
The child feeder apparatus of the present invention is of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which requires little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. The child feeder apparatus of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the child feeder apparatus of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.